Empressed

The Empress card from Kat Black's Golden Tarot . (I received this deck for my birthday a couple of years ago. It's sumptuous...)

Yesterday I did a tarot reading for the first time in weeks, and I asked about my new project, my daughter Lisbeth's new etsy site. The card that appeared in the "what I most need to look at" spot was The Empress. I was delighted to see this - The Empress represents promise, femininity, abundance, creativity and assurance. And that she is a mother is also relevant to my situation. I took care of my daughter for 14 years before she was transitioned to her her own assisted living home, and I really burned out. I went back to school at that time to get my soul back. I've wanted to help Lisbeth develop a business for a long time now but needed to take care of myself first. (A former therapist of mine likened this process to putting the oxygen mask on oneself first in an airplane emergency so that one can then tend to the waiting child...)

So I finally feel ready.

And when I snuggled up with my husband on the couch last night and waited out the last few minutes of his Ultimate Fighting match (ugh) before switching the channel to TCM, lo and behold! the 8:00 film was The Scarlet Empress, starring Marlene Dietrich. I took this as a good sign. (The Scarlet Empress tells the story of 18th century Russian Empress Catherine the Great's rise to power. What a visual feast! The costumes, and the sets! Wow!! So over the top and fabulous! You get a glimpse of it all here in these film stills. I loved it.)

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts.